Orientation Day

 August 29th, 2023

    During the SEA Teacher program orientation day, I felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement. This is the beginning of my adventure in teaching abroad and I can't wait to get to know the new environment, culture, and students I will teach in Thailand. Let's tell you in more detail about my experience.

    First Day August 30th, 2023 is the first day of orientation began with a warm welcome from the SEA Teacher program committee. I met fellow participants from other countries in Southeast Asia, namely the Philippines, and the feeling of international brotherhood was immediately felt. After an initial stretch, the opening session is filled with presentations about the program, rules, and your assignments and responsibilities as a teacher.

    I had a moment that I will never forget, for me this was a funny, tense moment and got my adrenaline pumping. Remembering that, always makes me miss when I was there. So during orientation, we were met by all the participation of SEA teachers, starting from friends, the committee, and teachers who will be our mentors at the school that has been determined for us. When the opening started, the vice president of the LPRU gave a welcome to all of us. Then, it continued with introductions of the teachers and after that introductions from us (program participants from the Philippines and Indonesia). The thing that tested my adrenaline and courage came when I introduced myself. Why did it test my mentality, because during the introduction I used Thai to introduce myself, which when learning Thai was very difficult and I learned it when I was bored in my apartment in the middle of the night.

    My turn began, feeling nervous I dared to introduce myself in Thai, which made me even more nervous when all eyes turned to me and they gave me a huge round of applause. Not only that, they also asked me questions using Thai that I didn't understand, even when I talked to the teachers who would be my mentors, they used Thai and they thought I could speak Thai. When she saw that, Ma'am Ying just laughed when she saw them speaking Thai to me. That was a moment I will never forget.

    During orientation, my friend and I were placed for observation at the Demonstration School Of LPRU for only 2 days, because my mentor from Lampang Sports School was on his way to Chiang Mai which started from Thursday to Friday. I also toured the school campus because the LPRU Demonstration School where I observed for 2 days was on campus.

 After orientation, I may feel more confident and ready to teach. I received my official schedule for Lampang Sports School in the 2nd week, met with your supervising teacher, and got ready to start the observation week according to the schedule at the sports school.

   By the end of orientation day, I felt like I had become part of the SEA Teacher community, and I had confidence in my ability to teach and learn from this experience. My adventure as a guest teacher in a foreign country began, full of challenges, growth, and unforgettable memories.